Prevention of Hepatitis B
- 1Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 10016, Taiwan
- 2Hepatitis Research Center, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 10016, Taiwan
- 3Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 10016, Taiwan
- 4Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Nankang 11529, Taiwan
- Correspondence: chends{at}ntu.edu.tw
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes life-threatening liver disease. It is transmitted through a horizontal route or a mother-to-infant route, and the latter is the major route in endemic areas. Prevention of HBV infection by immunization is the best way to eliminate HBV-related diseases. The HBV vaccine is the first human vaccine using a viral antigen from infected persons, which is safe and effective. Either passive immunization by hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) or active immunization by HBV vaccine is effective, and a combination of both yields the best efficacy in preventing HBV infection. The impact of universal HBV immunization is huge, with 90%–95% effectiveness in preventing chronic HBV infection. It is the first cancer preventive vaccine with a protective efficacy against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) of ∼70%. Nevertheless, further effort is still needed to avoid vaccine failure and to increase the global coverage rate.
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